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Lanka turn tables COLOMBO, Aug 31: Sri Lanka turned tables....more
Tendulkar blames lack COLOMBO, Aug 31: Himself nursing a niggling...more
IHF to focus on NEW DELHI, Aug 31: The Indian Hockey Federation..more |
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Andre Agassi romps while NEW YORK, Aug 31: World number two Andre Agassi delivered a warning by rolling to.....more
MUMBAI, Aug 31: The national cricket selectors today axed paceman Javagal Srinath.....more Woods breaks world LONDON, Aug 31: World number one Tiger Woods has broken records for the highest recorded.....more East Bengal inch CALCUTTA, Aug 31: Title aspirants East Bengal inched closer to the coveted title.....more MUMBAI, Aug 31: International Master (IM) norm holder Surya Shekher Ganguly...more |
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Lanka turn tables to lift AIWA Cup COLOMBO, Aug 31: Sri Lanka turned tables on world champions Australia to win the Trination Cricket AIWA Cup by eight wickets with ten overs and three balls to spare. Set to score 203 in the allotted 50 over, Lanka made 208 for two in just 39.3 overs. The newlook Lankan team led by dashing Sanath Jayasuriya was at their best. They performed well in all departments of the game the Aussies were bowled out for their lowest score in the series 202 with Lanka spinners doing all the damage. Australia, for whom losing the game also meant missing a chance to equal the world record of winning twelve consecutive one-day internationals, never looked good today. Bruised with both the ball and the bat, the World Cup champions, known for their never-say-die attitude, appeared given up their fight towards the final stage of the match. The visitors witnessed helplessly wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana marauding them to score an unbeaten 95 and earn him the man-of-the-match award. The only silver lining for the Aussies today was their opening batsman being chosen for the man-of-the-series title. Among Aussie bowlers, glen McGrath was the most expensive, giving away 47 runs in seven overs. In the 21st over of the Lankan innings, McGrath was stolen off 17 runs, including three no-balls. The Sri Lankan batsmen took over with a change in batting order, as Kaluwitharana opened the innings in place of skipper Jayasuriya, who was suffering from an injury. The chirpy wicket-keeper was at his best with the willow as well, missing what could have been a deserving ton by five runs as his team achieved its target by then. His 168-ball essay came in 107 minutes, studded with eleven fours. Russel Arnold contributed with a defiant 47. He, alongwith Kaluwitharana, put on 110 for the second wicket. But it was stylish Southpaw Jayasuriya who scored the winning shot with a massive six off Lehmann. He was not out on 26 when the Lankans reached the target. The Sri Lankan victory, after determined efforts in the league stage that saw them sneak into the final ahead of India by net run rate, marked a great turnaround after suffering humiliation at home for their World Cup. But Australia, who had won all four league ties with much to spare in keeping with their status as the world’s best one-day side, saw their 11-match winning streak broken as their rivals completely outplayed them. It was the under-rated Sri Lankan attack that set up the sensational victory with the slow bowlers exploiting the slowish pitch to wrench the heart out of the batting. Leg spinner Upul Chandana struck two crucial blows by dismissing Darren Lehmann and one-day specialist Michael Bevan - for a first ball duck - off successive balls with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, Arnold and Sanath Jayasuriya also chipping in with two wickets apiece. Skipper Steve Waugh (43) top-scored with a typically stubborn effort, but the flawless Sri Lankan chase blunted the Australian attack with leg-spinner Shane Warne surprisingly coming nowhere near matching the exploits of his Sri Lankan counterparts. Kaluwitharana and Atapattu made a steady start with a 64-run opening stand. Atapattu (24 - 46 b, 1 x 4) guided paceman Jason Gillespie to ‘keeper Adam Gilchrist, but the 23-year-old Russel (47 - 57 b, 3x4) showed great character in lending his senior partner support. The spring in the Aussie fielding slowly vanished and the match eventually resembled the famous chase Sri Lanka carried out in winning the 1996 World Cup final in Lahore against the same opponents. (PTI) |
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Tendulkar blames lack of fitness for debacle COLOMBO, Aug 31: Himself nursing a niggling back problem which threatens to disrupt his brilliant career, Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar today attributed the string of humiliating defeats suffered by his team in the on-going Aiwa Triangular Cricket Tournament to total lack of fitness of the team members. In an informal chat with reporters, Tendulkar said he was not at all happy with the fitness of the team. ‘The team, to an extent can withstand batting and bowling failures. But if it fails in fielding also, then it has nowhere to go’. Without mincing words, he said the team can begin to win only if it is totally fit not otherwise. It was evident from his emphasis on fitness that he would prefer to have a full time fitness specialist, like the Sri Lankans and the Australians. Indian team had such a specialist in Andrew Kokinos of Australia till the recent World Cup but his services were terminated after that tournament without finding any replacement. About his recurring back problem, the master batsman gave the impression that he did not want to get bogged down with it. He said there was little occasional stiffness in the back which does not prevent him from attending to routine work. He said he would make a day to day assessment for the time being and keep playing. Yesterday, he had an extesive session of squash at the hotel where he was staying and continued with his routine fitness exercises. About the composition of the team, he said, it should be playing together for some more time in order to settle down. ‘You have to give us some more time’ before making a proper assessment, he said adding that every one was putting in his best effort to improve performance. ‘The (poor) results are not because of any lack of effort,’ he said. The team, which has failed to qualify for the final being played today, will leave for singapore tonight to take part in yet another triangular tournament involving West India and Zimbabwe. (PTI) |
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IHF to focus on foreign exposure NEW DELHI, Aug 31: The Indian Hockey Federation will henceforth focus entirely on giving its teams foreign exposure as it was the only way to match the world’s best, its president K P S Gill today. We have a large pool of over 100 players and a major chunk of them are juniors. We will keep all the teams in shape with repeated foreign exposure as in the domestic circuit the pace is so slow and all teams adopt the same style of play, he said. Members of the junior team that put up a superb show by reaching the final of the eight-nation challenger tournament in Poznan, Poland, before going down to South Korea in the sudden death phase was warmly felicitated at a simple function on its return here today. Gill said about 50 players would be shortlisted by end of next month and lodged in two camps in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The juniors will also constantly be on the move, playing against different countries, he said adding that the idea was to maintain continuity till the 2004 Athens Olympics. The juniors, most of them probables for the 2001 junior World Cup to be held in Sydney, played according to plan under a new system that was tried which paid rich dividends, coach C R Kumar said. The Indian team put up a consistent show to reach the final where they lost in the sudden death to Korea after leading 2-0 and 3-2 during regulation time. The players who were all making their first trip abroad, began poorly by losing two friendly matches against the Netherlands, but Kumar said it also helped drill into the boys the basics of quick passing, running off the ball and man to man marking. There was a senior four-nation tournament going on in Amstelveen involving Germany, Pakistan, Spain and Holland at the same venue we were playing and the boys were made to watch each match. This gave them a good idea of tactics, he said. In fact, respected German coach Paul Lissek who also was present in Poznan to spot talented players for inducting into the senior side, was surprised with the team’s transformation and even asked whether players had been changed from Holland. India beat Egypt 8-2, Belgium 4-0, lost 0-1 to Germany, and beat hosts Poland 2-1 in the semifinal. Once the boys gained confidence, they adopted to the 3-3-3-1 style adopted by all European teams and handled the system quite well, Kumar said. Captain and centrehalf Bimal Lakra, forwards Len Aiyappa and Arjun Halappa did a commendable job, but 15-year-old left-half Prabjot Tirky is considered the find for India from the tournament. We got most of the goals on counter attack in the final. The Koreans scored mostly against run of play as they had very few tries at goal as such. But our penalty corner conversion was only 18 per cent, he added. Gill said teams going abroad now videotaped all matches which was a big advantage. Earlier, we had to scrounge for footage. Now we have provision for this with every team, he said. (PTI) |
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Andre Agassi romps while Hingis gets wake-up call NEW YORK, Aug 31: World number two Andre Agassi delivered a warning by rolling to a 76-minute victory while top-ranked Martina Hingis received a wake-up call here last night at the US Open. French Open champion Agassi routed 102nd-ranked Swede Nicklas Kulti 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, showing the strength and speed that lifted the 29-year-old American back to the top after sinking to 141st in the world in 1997. It’s never as easy as it looks, Agassi said. It looked easier than it was. It’s never simple. It’s always tough to get started. Sometimes the nerves translate well, but you never know how you’re going to start. Hingis began her quest for grand slam redemption by beating 74th-ranked Czech Kveta Hrdlickova 6-1, 7-5, to reach a second-round match against Sarah Pitkowski of France. Definitely a wake up call, Hingis said. Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia and third-seeded American Venus Williams also advanced while number six Amanda Coetzer of South Africa became the first seed blown away on a blustery day. World number one Pete Sampras, fighting back and hip injuries, waits until tomorrow to start his quest for an unprecedented 13th career grand slam singles title against 31st-ranked Marat Safin of Russia. Today’s schedule finds two-time defending champion Pat Rafter of Australia facing 26th-ranked Frenchman Cedric Pioline and 1998 women’s winner Lindsay Davenport facing doubles partner Corina Morariu. A record crowd of 27,809 attended first-day matches at the 14.5 million hardcourt tournament, the century’s last grand slam event. Agassi, who next plays 124th-rated German qualifier Axel Pretzsch, hit the shot of the day by swatting a between-the-legs forehand winner while running from the net. Kulti could only kick at the ball as it passed him. He matched his previous most dominant US Open performance, when he surrendered four games to Romanian Adrian Voinea in the second round two years ago. Agassi, who became only the fifth man to complete a career grand slam when he won the French Open earlier this year, received cheers when he changed his shirt for his cut form. Australian Open champion Hingis suffered a humbling loss to Steffi Graf in the French Open final and briefly split from mother-coach Melanie Molitor until a first-round Wimbledon loss and month off revitalized her. Hingis, the 1997 winner and 1998 runner-up here, seeks her seventh 1999 title, having already captured crowns at Tokyo, Hilton head, Berlin, San Diego and Toronto as well as the year’s first grand slam event. Hingis struggled to close out a foe she beat easily in the French Open, surrendering a 10th-game break to level the set as Hrdlickova pounded 19 winners in the second set. Jelena Dokic, the 16-year-old Aussie who ousted Hingis on her way to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, made 45 unforced errors in losing to 10th seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain 6-5, 6-1 in 69 minutes. Coetzer lost 6-1, 7-5 to 20th-ranked Romanian Irina Spirlea, taking the top-seeded foe from Williams’ semifinal path. (AFP) |
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East Bengal inch closer to title CALCUTTA, Aug 31: Title aspirants East Bengal inched closer to the coveted title as they held traditional rivals Mohun Bagan to a 1-1 draw in their super five’ super division league match here today. Trailing by a solitary goal till the dying minutes of the contest, a determined East Bengal kept themselves on course for the title by scoring the equaliser five minutes before the long whistle to send thousands of their fans into a frenzy at the salt lake stadium. Bagan, who had no option but to win this crucial match to keep themselves in the reckoning, raised hopes of a victory when Dulal Biswas struck for his team in the 31st minute of the second session. But the lead was neutralised nine minutes later as Suley Mussah converted a spotkick without much fuss to save the day for the red and gold brigade. The penalty was awarded by referee Bikash Mukherjee after Mohun Bagan defender Debjit Ghosh ‘handled’ the ball inside the box leading to protests by the Bagan players who were seen arguing with the referee. Play was held up for about five minutes as the Bagan players kept protesting against the decision. Bagan’s star striker Chima Okerie was given marching orders as he went out of the ground during the stoppage. (PTI) |
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MUMBAI, Aug 31: International Master (IM) norm holder Surya Shekher Ganguly of Goodricke National Chess Academy (GNCA) annexed the 37th National "B" chess crown by virtue of a victory over top seed IM R B Ramesh of Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB) in the 13th and final round here today. Ganguly tallied 10.00 points out of a possible 13 and steered a clear half point away from his nearest rival. The championship’s thirteen qualifying slots for the forthcoming national "A" went to Sandipan Chanda (GNCA), T S Ravi (PSCB), K Murugan (TN), S Kidambi (TN), P Harikrishna (AP), Vishal Sareen, Atanu Lahiri, (both LIC), Rahul Shetty (IA), Sriram Jha (LIC), Lanka Ravi (PSCB), Ravi Hegde (BSB) and Neelotpal Das (GNCA), who all scored 9.5 points to book their berth along with Ganguly. C S Gokhal of Indian Airlines came 14th despite securing 9.5 points owing to a bad tie-break. Playing with white pieces, Ganguly opened with the king pawn and the players blitzed known theory for the first fifteen moves. Ramesh sank in long thought following a relatively new idea employed by Ganguly and broke the centre to achieve equality. However, to force a win Ramesh gave up a pawn to initiate a kingside attack but did not get the desired compensation as Ganguly exchanged both the rooks. On the 35th move Ramesh avoided giving perpetual checks and fell into a mating net to go down. (PTI) |
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